Buoyed by a major savings in jail fees, the Raleigh County Commission agreed Tuesday to renew its agreement with the Mercer Day Reporting Center, a multi-county entity that attempts to steer non-violent offenders back into society with rehabilitation and job training.

Raleigh County’s membership is $35,000 in this fiscal year, but already, the venture has proven to be a cost-cutting measure.

Even with a major drug bust that caused a brief aberration in fees assessed by the Southern Regional Jail, the county managed to save more than $60,000 last month, Commission President Pat Reed pointed out.

Commissioner John Aliff said the county’s bill soared to $189,000 last month, but county attorney Bill Roop emphasized that a drug sting threw an unusually large number of people in jail.

“It’s going to peak whenever we have a major drug bust in Raleigh County,” Reed said.

“We’re definitely in favor of eliminating all the drugs we can. That’s what took place. We’re still saving over $60,000.”

Reed couldn’t predict how much Raleigh County can expect to trim its jail bill.

“It’s just hard to determine what crimes are going to be there,” she said.

“People that we put in there are certainly not violent offenders. So, it just depends a lot on what takes place. We have a drug bust maybe twice a year.”

Originally, the Mercer Drug Center embraced four counties, but Reed said the number since has been doubled. Raleigh’s initial cost when joining late last year was $56,000.

A decision to provide alternative sentencing at the local level came after the county had shelled out $2.6 million in fiscal 2007 to cover jail fees — an increase of more than half a million dollars from the previous year. The daily per diem cost of housing inmates stands at $47.60.

“It’s working,” Reed said of the reporting center.

“The reason our expense is so low is that we were able to join with other counties to get grant money.”

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In another matter, Delegates Louis Gall, D-Raleigh, and Linda Sumner, R-Raleigh, announced three grants benefiting the county.

One is a $16,500 grant from the state Tax and Revenue Department, one is for $28,500 to benefit an independent living project, and another $1,000 goes toward a ramp for disabled veterans at the Raleigh County All-Wars Museum.

Commissioners also approved:

- A grant of $7,500 to combat drunken driving.

- An outlay of $5,000 apiece as operation and maintenance money for Cranberry Creek at The Galleria and Soak Creek in Sophia, while the city of Beckley is obligated to a like amount for Little Whitestick Creek.

- Its dental contract with Delta, a $13,000 grant application by the Southern West Virginia Convention and Visitors Bureau, and a $19,500 grant application for Camp Alpine.

- Appointments to the following boards: Beckley-Raleigh County Board of Health, John Bailes; 4-C Economic Development Authority, Bill Baker; New River Parkway Authority, Robert Sayre; Board of Zoning Appeals, Tim Thompson; Community Action, Karen Bowling; Emergency Services Authority, Sam Anderson and Linda Klopp; Housing Authority, Robin Hairston; Memorial Airport Authority, Beckley Mayor Emmett Pugh; Planning and Zoning Commission, Ed Bibb and Mike Tyree; Public Library, Baker; Recreation Authority, Clayton Terry; Shawnee Parkway Authority, Deborah Gail Mills.

— E-mail:

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